Form for making cement or concrete steps.



H. L PARK.

FORM FOR MAKING CEMENT OR GONCRETE STEPS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 3,1915- Patented May 9,1916.

2 SHEETSSHEETI H L. PARK. FORM FOR MAKING CEMENT 0R CONCRETE STEPS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 3.19l5.

Patented May 9, 1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2 v WALTMMM 32% HOWARD L. PARK OF READING, MASSACHUSETTS.

FORM FOR MAKING'GEMENT 0R CONCRETE STEPS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 9, 1916.

Application filed February 3, 1915. Serial No. 5,932.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HOWARD L. PARK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Reading, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Forms for lVIaking'Cement or Concrete Steps, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to forms or molds for making concrete or cement steps, and its object is to provide a simple and cheap device of this kind which can be'easily and quickly set up ready for use, and which is adjustable to the height of the risers and the width of thetread which the steps are to have.

This object is attained by means of anovel combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which Figure l is an end view of'the form; Fig. 2 is a plan view'thereof; Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 ofFig. 2; Fig. disa section on the line 1-4 of Fig. 3; Fig. Sis asectional detail showing a modification; Fig. 6 is an end view showing a coping form; Fig. 7 is a plan view of one end of the coping form; Fig. 8 is a section on the line'8-98 of Fig. 6, and Fig. 9 is a face viewof one of the coping plates. I

In carrying out the invention there is pro vided a pair of laterally spaced, parallel side bars 10 carrying supportingmembers 11 of transverse, vertitially-arranged boards 12,

which latter determine the risers of the steps.

The bars 10 are spaced according to the width of the steps and the members 11 are adjustable relativeto each other according to the width of the tread, and by employing riser boards 12 of different heightspth'e height of the risers of the steps may be varied. g I

The side bars 10 are channeled in cross section, with their flanges pointing outward, and the members 11 are clamped'to'the inner faces of said bars by bolts 13 havinghookshaped ends 14 to engageover the'flanges of the bars. The bolts carry wing nuts 15, and upon tightening up the latter, the mem.

bers 11 are securelyfastened to the sidebars. I, The top bolts 13 pass through arcuate" slots 16 in the members to allow the angle of the stairs to be changed, the side bars being mounted in an inclined position correspond ing to the angle of the stairs. The side bars are positioned vertically so that their flanges are'at the top and the bottom. Upon loosenlng the nuts 15, the members 11 may be slid along the side bars to position the riser boards 12 according to the width of the tread.

Each member 11 projects above and below the side bar 10 to which it is made fast, the lower projecting portion being reduced in width and having its rear edge straight, the rlser board 12 seating against said edge, below the side bar, and said edge having a brad 17 which is driven into theboard to hold the same in place. The board is further secured bya pivoted, driven fastener 18 carriedby the member 11 and located so that itmay be driven into the top edge of the board. The top edge of the member 11 supports a staging plank 19 on which the workman stands. At the front end of the member is an upstanding lug 20 to prevent the plank from slipping off. Each member 11 also has a rearwardly projecting part 21 on the vertical edge of which is a scale 22 on which indicates a lapping horizontal pointer or finger 23 projecting from the front edge of the adjacent member 11. The bottom edge of the pointer also has a scale 24: on which the edge of the adjacent member having the scale 22 indicates. These scales and cooperating parts obviate the necessity of measuring each riser, and enable the members 11 to be accurately positioned on the side bars 10 after setting the first member;

In operation, the side bars 10 are set up at the required inclination, and spaced accordingto the width the steps are to have. The members 11 are adjusted on the side bars according to the width of the tread, and the riser boards 12 are. mounted in place and made fast as hereinbefore described, boards corresponding to the heightsof the risers b'eing employed. The concrete mate- I rial is now filled in behind the lowermost riser board 12, and leveled off flush with the top of saidboard to form the tread of the first step. More material is now filled in behind the neXt riser board and the same is lev eledoff flush "with said board, to form the second step. This operation is repeateduntil the top riser board is reached and the steps are finished.

Instead of the channel bars 10, plain -wooden stringers 25, as shown in Fig. 5 may be employed for supporting the members 11,

the latter being fastened on by bolts 26 passing across the top and bottom edges of the stringers and through slots 27 in aplate 28 mounted against the outer faces of the stringers.

The channeled bars 10 are designed to be used on long flights of steps, whereas the wooden stringers 25 may be employed on short flights.

At 29 are shown members for molding the inner face of a coping, said members being flat metal plates. To these plates are riveted or otherwise fastened angular bracket arms 30 having slots 31 to receive bolts 32 whereby the plates are mounted on the side bars 10, so that they extend in a row along the outer faces thereof, the length of the riser boards 12 being such that they fit'between the plates on the respective sides of the device. The slots 31 have the same function as the slots 16 hereinbefore described. hen the coping form is used the hook-shaped bolts 13 are not employed, but the bolts 32 are substituted for the same, the

arms 30 fitting against the edges. of the flanges of the side bars, and thus serving to cooperate with the bolts to secure the members 11 in the same manner as the plates 28 hereinbefore described.

The steps may be made with Or without coping. If a coping is not desired, the plates 29 will, of course be leftofi.

. The device provides a simple and cheap form for the purpose described, it is readily adjustable, and easily and quickly set up,

it can be used over and over again, and it does not require skilled labor.

When the apparatus is in'use a plain board form supports the concrete beneath the same, with side boards to keep the concrete'from fiowing'out at the sides. On inside work this board frame may be in the form of a, simple trough, and on outside work the earth, dirt or ground, when convenient, with boards on the sides, can be used to support the concrete and keep it from flowing out at the sides. When the concrete has set, the boards supporting the same are knocked out. The sidebars 10 are above the treads of the step and on the inside of the coping, and a plank forms the outside of the latter. The side bars do not touch the concrete, and the. latter is filled in'up to the coping plates only. The coping plates are made high enough to keep their upper edges above the concrete, and thus prevent them from being embedded in the latter. In making a coping on steps the wooden trough hereinbefore referred to is made a little'wider so as to allow for the width of the coping on each side.

I claim 1. A form for molding steps, comprising laterally spaced side bars, riser-forming members extending transversely beneath said side bars, supporting members for the riser-forming members mounted on the side bars and adjustable along thesame, said supporting members having portions depending from the side bars against the rear of which the riser-forming members abut, means for securing the riser-forming members to said depending portions of'the supporting members, the supporting members having vertical edge portions provided with a scale, and a pointer, the pointer of a member indicating on the scale of an adjacent member.

2. A form for molding steps, comprising I said pointers having horizontal edge portions provided with a scale, the aforesaid vertical edge portion of a member indicating on the last mentioned scale of an ad j acent member.

, 8. A form for molding steps, comprising laterally spaced side bars, riser-forming members extending transversely beneath:

said side bars, supporting members for the r ser-forming members mounted on the slde bars and adjustable along the same, saidsupporting members having portions depending from the side bars against the rear of which the riser-forming members abut, and means for securmg the laser-forming members to said depending portions of the supporting members, said supporting menu bers at the top projecting above the top of the sidebars and having a staging seat.

In testimony whereof I afIiX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

. v HOWTARD L. PARK.

Witnesses:

CYRUS R. Davis, ELMER (lltIOHARDSON- Copies 01 this patent me;' be obtained for fl ve cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents.

' Washington, D. 0. i 

